On March 24, Cameroon confirmed its first death due to coronavirus. The deceased is a 66-year-old patient who died at the Central Hospital in Yaoundé where he was in isolation.

Sources at the hospital say the man was a Cameroonian residing in Italy, who arrived in Cameroon on Saturday 7 March and was taken care of at the Yaoundé Central Hospital since 14 March 2020. “He was in very bad shape. He was suffering from respiratory distress. He consumed three oxygen tanks a day,” a source said.

From a family source, the first symptoms of Coronavirus were observed in the patient as he was returning to Cameroon. “Dad told us that during the whole trip, he made people uncomfortable because he coughed a lot. But, when he arrived at the airport, nothing was detected,” said the son of the deceased.

According to figures released by Cameroon's Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie, the country is registering new cases of people infected with Covid-19. These include ten patients who tested positive at the Yaoundé Pasteur Centre. This brings the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Cameroon to 66.

Most cases are detected in Yaoundé, Douala and Bafoussam, a city located in the Western Region. Authorities urged all citizens to strictly follow measures to fight the coronavirus. “It is together, in discipline, solidarity and in all responsibility that we will win,” the minister said.

BE